Breaking: NHL team believed to have received permission to negotiate with William Nylander.

Offer is on the table.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Breaking: NHL team believed to have received permission to negotiate with William Nylander.
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It seems like the trade that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas never wanted to make may soon become a reality.

The Toronto Maple Leafs now have less than one month to come to terms on a new contract with restricted free agent forward William Nylander and with no signs of progress between the two sides it seems less and less likely that the deal will get done. Now according to The Fourth Periods David Pagnotta at least a dozen teams have expressed interest in acquiring Nylander via a trade, but one of them has reportedly put an offer on the table. 

That team is one that is currently struggling to start the season, the Los Angeles Kings and according to Pagnotta's sources the team appears to have put an offer on the table that would include at least two of their veteran players. Pagnotta reports that defenseman Jake Muzzin and forward Tanner Pearson have both reportedly been included as part of a package for Nylander, but if I'm being honest I do not take the deal if I'm the Maple Leafs.

In the case of Muzzin the man is already 29 years old which does not really fit the young team the Leafs are trying to build to compete for many years to come and his contract also poses similar problems for the Leafs. Muzzin is currently earning an average annual value of $4 million per season but is only under contract for this current season and the next. Making matters worse for Toronto is the fact that Muzzin will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of his current contract and that means he could in theory walk away for nothing at the end of his deal, not exactly the kind of asset you want in exchange for a young forward with many years of team control attached to his status.

The situation with Pearson is a little better but not by much. Pearson has one extra year on his currently deal and is earning slightly less at $3.75 million per season, but like Muzzin he also becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of his current deal. That means the Leafs could in theory get 1 player for a season and a half, and another for 2 and a half seasons, not exactly a great return for Nylander in my estimation.

Pagnotta did add that there may be additional pieces to this deal, but I don't like it if I'm the Maple Leafs and looking to compete for a championship in the next several seasons.

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